JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- While the assessed value of property in Duval County dropped over last year, the amount was smaller than anticipated and allowed Mayor John Peyton to trim the size of his requested tax hike.

Property Appraiser Jim Overton reported Wednesday that the certified 2009 tax roll was down $3.5 billion year-to-year -- a smaller drop than he estimated in early June.

As a result of the revised numbers, Peyton said he will propose a 9.5 millage rate for the upcoming year -- a 1.02-mil increase. Last week, Peyton called for a 1.2-mil increase, along with $40 million in budget cuts and a reform of pension-plan funding to cope with decreased revenue from property taxes.

The mayor's office said the tax increase would cost the average homeowner $97 per year.

Peyton said some negative feedback about the tax proposal, but he will spend the next few weeks and months making the case that the increase is needed to avoid cutting essential city services.

"The question is, do we want to eliminate the services that our at risk, including many that a lot of people depend on, including fire stations, libraries, community centers, recycling grants for children, rape response centers?" Peyton said. "Do we want to eliminate them or have a slight modest (tax) increase."

Peyton said that the city's special events -- the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, the World of Nations and the light parade -- could be eliminated if City Council does not approve the 12 percent property tax increase.

While most City Council members won't officially take a position on the tax hike and budget cuts until later this summer, some members are not happy they are hearing details of the plan second-hand.

"Thanks to your coverage, we are hearing it," Councilman Clay Yarborough said. "We should know about it from our mayor, not to have to know about it from the press."

Yarborough said the plan could look very different after City Council is done with it.